The Glory of Indian Cinema

The journey began in the early 1940s when Dadasaheb Phalke flashed his mute video clips on the projector screens. ..and today, we stand on the threshold to make our presence felt globally in the form of Bollywood.

Bollywood brings to our minds the exuberance of scenic locations, the rhythm of the hip-hop beats and the melody of music.

Veteran actors like Naseeruddin Shah , Amrish Puri,and the epitomic beauty Aishwariya Rai have become iconic stars not only in India but have significantly contributed to international films as well. The presence of fan clubs for the Khans, all round the world is not new to us. Today, we can proudly say that the Indian film industry is constantly extending its horizons.

India cinema has seen rapid evolution in the past decade. It is producing more of contemporary cinema. Financers are immensely investing in this industry which is witnessing voluptuous growth. It believes in catering the best to its cosmopolitan masses. The costumes, make-up, cinematography, special effects have greatly improved. This progress is not limited to the Hindi movies only. The vernacular medium of movies is also making a gradual impact in this success story. Slowly we are moving from the cinema theatres and adapting ourselves to the multiplex culture.

Yet again, every coin does have a flipside. Movies even today are the largest medium of mass entertainment. As a medium, it has the potential to mould the minds of its audience. Still, our directors are not thoughtful enough as to what they are showcasing to the masses , which does not really have a bulk of rational thinkers. The audience to our movies barely have a mind-set which can view the onscreen intimacy in an aesthetic way. They try to enact whatever  is projected on the silver screen. Excessive onscreen exposure by the film heroine invites lewd comments. Even an ordinary college-going girl has to be a victim of eve-teasing which has increased over the years. Sexually explicit material , violence, has been in one way or the other instrumental in  increasing the crime-rate. Movies like Metro handle the sensitive issue of  relationships whereas Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna justifies infidelity to a good extent. The comprehensibility of such issues remains limited to an elite class of audience only. Most of the time, a new Friday-release is such that it makes us uncomfortable to watch with our parents or grandparents.The Indian mind-set is yet to come out of the closet completely. People still believe that kissing can get a girl pregnant and talking openly about sex is a taboo.

 We still remain a country westernized in our thoughts but tied to its tradition. Indian cinema can be thoughtful and can be effectively exploited as a medium to revive our culture. It is good to learn from our counterparts ; but our authorities must  wisely decide what they should show its masses.